People Like Us by Caroline Slocock

Author:Caroline Slocock [Caroline Slocock]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785903793
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2018-07-10T16:00:00+00:00

How did she do it?

The strength of Margaret Thatcher’s beliefs was her greatest weapon, but this feature of her personality wasn’t always easy to deal with, close to. She wasn’t afraid to say what she thought to be true and to fight what she thought was the good fight – and, if you were on her side, she would defend you come what may. These are qualities that those who admire her treasure, and there are many who have seen and liked that flash of the eyes, that combative tone in interview after media interview. They have been thrilled, not appalled, by a quality which some people call intransigence.

But I have to say that I was not one of them and found it hard to deal with face-to-face when it occurred. I will never forget the time I was in the car with her and I opened up the subject of the need for police reform in the light of recent scandals about police behaviour and the fixing of evidence, including the disbanding of the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad following evidence of malpractice; the quashing of the convictions of the Guildford Four following proof that the police had fabricated evidence; and the findings of Lord Justice Taylor on Hillsborough. Carolyn Sinclair in the Policy Unit, with my backing, was encouraging her to do something about police leadership, including instigating a private sector-led review and bringing in more outsiders. The Prime Minister had failed to discuss the issue with the Home Secretary in one of their regular bilaterals, as had been planned. I wanted to check what she wanted to do but I must have struck a wrong note. There was a moment of silence, then she fixed me with her Medusa eye and said, ‘Caroline, we have the best police force in the world.’

I had hit a nerve and I decided to let things rest at that moment. I knew she was touchy on this subject. When asked by the Home Office for an agreement that the Home Secretary should ‘welcome the broad thrust’ of the report on the inquiry into Hillsborough, she wrote on my covering minute to her, ‘What do you mean by “welcoming the broad thrust of the report”? The broad thrust is devastating criticism of the police. Is that for us to welcome? The circular does the same. Surely we welcome the thoroughness of the report and its recommendations.’199 But, in fairness, she was listening and she did take the issue forward after further reminders, and with some force, though the Home Office with characteristic skill managed to slip out of doing anything very much, despite all our efforts.200

Belief could slip into damaging prejudice. Over a number of Scotches during an overnight stay on one of these trips, she told me with great sincerity that there was something intrinsic to the German national character that led to the terrible persecution of the Jews, pointing (to my mind, oddly) to queue-jumping as contemporary evidence of the same failings.

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